A Systematic Approach for Evaluating the Adoption of Additive Manufacturing in the Product Design Process

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies have expanded the possibility of producing unconventional geometries, also increasing the freedom of design. However, in the designer’s everyday work, the decision regarding the adoption of AM for the production of a component is not straightforward. In fact, it is necessary to process much information regarding multiple fields to exploit the maximum potential of additive production. For example, there is a need to evaluate the properties of the printable materials, their compatibility with the specific application, redesign shapes accordingly to AM limits, and conceive unique and complex products. Additionally, procurement and logistics evaluations, as well as overall costs possibly extending to the entire life cycle, are necessary to come to a decision for a new and radical solution. In this context, this paper investigates the complex set of information involved in this process. Indeed, it proposes a framework to support and guide a designer by means of a structured and algorithmic procedure to evaluate the opportunity for the adoption of AM and come to an optimal design. A case study related to an ultralight aircraft part is reported to demonstrate the proposed decision process.

Design for Additive Manufacturing: Methods and Tools

“…Alongside TO, the remaining authors studied a range of DfAM methodologies and methods. Raffaeli et al [8] proposed a systematic approach to support designers in understanding the opportunities offered by AM in the design of machined parts. The approach implements multi-criteria decision making to systematically assess the suitability of AM for a given set of design requirements.…”

“…The overall DfAM strategy presented in Figure ?? is the lighthouse for other methods conceived for specific problems and products [1,[7][8][9][10][11].…”

Transdisciplinary Evaluation of Simulation Software for Industry 4.0 Assembly Lines

“…This method is based on a series of pairwise comparisons between a set of criteria, giving them a score of relative importance and assigning percentage weights [25]. AHP aims to support decision-makers while operating with several conflicting evaluations, obtaining an optimal compromise solution in a structured way [26].…”

Process Product Design Based on Multimode Interaction Design

“…But in the environment of the network alliance enterprise production pattern, the number of the enterprises also changes frequently; the designer cannot please everyone personally familiar with the production environment. Experience alone is not enough; this requires the designer to timely access the actual production data and design the excellent craft products [12].…”